12 months ago
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) $2 billion Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) program, aimed at helping specialty crop producers expand markets and manage higher costs, is now accepting applications through Jan. 8, 2025. According to the agency, funded by the Commodity Credit Corporation, MASC was announced in November alongside the ...

12 months ago
I still have my very first pocketknife, a Henckels three-bladed stockman with a red bone handle. It’s safely stowed in a drawer now because its everyday utility was long ago surpassed by its sentimental value. It was a gift from my father, as should be the case for every child’s first pocketknife. But it was so ...

12 months ago
The Kansas Department of Agriculture and K-State Research and Extension (KSRE) will offer six regional Local Food Producer Workshops to assist farmers’ market vendors and managers, and for those wanting to sell food products directly to consumers. According to the state agriculture department, Kansas farmers’ markets not only provide a fresh food source, but also stimulate ...

12 months ago
Kansas State University wheat specialist Romulo Lollato says farmers should consider what they might be missing when choosing to leave winter wheat out of their usual crop rotations. Lollato notes that wheat acres in Kansas have been decreasing at a rate of approximately 2% every year since 2005. Nationally, that decline remains at about 1.5%. Often, ...

12 months ago
This season’s first calf arrived a little over four weeks early this year. For humans this may not seem that impossible, but calves born more than four weeks early rarely live past a day or two. The little guy weighed in at 35 pounds, half the size of a typical newborn. Our mama cows have great ...

12 months ago
Kansas State University researchers have published the findings of a study that looks at a seemingly simple way to add another layer of protection for the U.S. swine industry against a crippling, viral disease. K-State swine production specialist and veterinarian Jordan Gebhardt said scientists have used some common household items to test their ability to detect ...

12 months ago
Many people maintain a garden in the summer and enjoy eating the bounty of their homegrown produce. Similarly, cattle producers raise freezer beef for themselves and to share with family and friends. On a recent Kansas State University Beef Cattle Institute Cattle Chat podcast, a listener asked how to take an 850-pound steer to finish weight on the ...

12 months ago
Nearly 400 Farm Bureau members of Kansas on Monday wrapped up business for their farm organization during Kansas Farm Bureau’s 106th annual meeting. According to the organization, the policies adopted will now become the organization’s road map for the 2025 legislative session. Topics of discussion included water, animal health and energy, among other issues. Wilson County farmer Joe ...

12 months ago
Kansas officials are reporting that a program that helps low-income families purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at farmer’s markets and grocery stores topped more than $1.1 million in benefits in the past year. Erin Bishop, manager of the Double Up Food Bucks program coordinated through K-State Research and Extension, added that the number of vendors (mostly farmers markets) ...

12 months ago
The Kansas Department of Agriculture’s Marketing and Promotions Advisory Board will meet at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, December 13, 2024. This is a regularly scheduled board meeting that will be held at the KDA office at 1320 Research Park Dr. in Manhattan. The mission of the KDA Agricultural Marketing, Advocacy and Outreach Team is to serve ...

12 months ago
The 75th Annual Arkansas River Compact Administration (ARCA) annual meeting will be on Friday, December 13, 2024, at 9:00 a.m. CST at the Clarion Inn, 1911 E Kansas Ave. in Garden City, Kansas. The meeting agenda will be posted on the ARCA website at www.co-ks-arkansasrivercompactadmin.org. ARCA administers provisions of the Kansas-Colorado Arkansas River Compact, including operations of the ...